The Queensland Government has confirmed an engineered stone ban will begin on July 1, in accordance with national guidelines.

State Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace says the move will end all work with engineered stone products, including projects started before the ban.

“This dangerous product is known to cause the potentially fatal disease silicosis: workers sell their labour, not their lives, so we want people out of harm’s way as soon as possible,” Ms Grace said.

“Here in Queensland, we have demonstrated we will never be silent when it comes to the safety of Queensland workers – we’ve been bold and outspoken, and we’ll continue that legacy in conquering the insidious dangers posed by respirable crystalline silica.”

The Government will permit work on legacy engineered stone products – such as kitchen benchtops and panels installed on premises before July 1 – with requirements for businesses to inform and plan with workplace health and safety regulators.

Queensland recently audited all known engineered stone benchtop fabricators and screened more than 1000 workers for dust-related diseases as part of its WorkCover scheme.